Alberta is full of small towns – some off the beaten path, and some just a stone’s throw away from a major centre. Having lived in Alberta now for over 20 years, I still have no idea just how much there is to see and do, outside of Edmonton and Calgary. 2020, my friends, is my year to figure it out!
Thanks to COVID-19 our vacation to Quebec in June has been postponed to next year, and who knows what the rest of this year will bring. With that in mind, our goal is to travel more within our own province and enjoy what is in our own backyard. Hopefully the provincial and federal parks will open up again soon and we can enjoy some of mother nature as well.
I had heard about Country Cousins Restaurant through a Facebook foodies group that I’m in… it came highly recommended so I thought it would be neat to check it out. So, on the first nice day in a very long time (this has been the longest winter ever!), Max and I hopped into my vehicle and drove to Linden, Alberta. It was about an hour or so to get there, but we did have some drama along the way. I missed the turn off Highway 2 and didn’t notice for quite a while, so we had to go way out of our way (we were talking too much!). Eventually we came across three collared dogs running across the highway, and assuming the dogs were not supposed to be on the highway, we drove to two nearby houses to share the information. Alas, the dogs were someone’s and they went out in a ‘mini-truck’ to get them. Daily good dead taken care of!
Country Cousins Restaurant has been around for over 30 years – since 1986! Husband and wife team Garret and Karen Rempel bought the restaurant in January 2020 and are the 6th owners since the restaurant opened. Having worked in the restaurant previously; however, they weren’t looking to start over. The restaurant has some legacy recipes to carry on, and that’s what they’ve been doing. The peanut butter pie and honey lemon chicken are staples that continue to sell out.
Country Cousins Restaurant doesn’t have a formal website yet (coming in May 2020!), but you can find a lot of photos and reviews online through TripAdvisor and also Zomato… that being said, the reviews are older and would be from the previous owners’ time. Garret and Karen advertise weekly specials through their Facebook Page and it’s also the best place to interact with the owners if you need to. It’s best to follow them on Facebook so you can stay in the loop and plan your trip.
I ordered our food for pickup at 6pm and we arrived exactly on time! I had to wait for a few minutes while a local lady placed an order for the pierogy plate with no onions and no sour cream (oh, the shame!)… but my order was hot and ready to go. I had pre-paid in advance but actually messed up my order and asked for 2 pies instead of 2 pieces of pie, so they were nice enough to give me cash back when I arrived.
First of all, I was impressed that the takeout containers, the cutlery and the plastic bag was all compostable. We found a picnic table across the street and ate our supper in the sun (the stark lighting in the photos was simply because we were enjoying the sun which we hadn’t seen for weeks, it seemed!). We brought all of our waste back to Calgary and sorted it into garbage (ketchup bags) and compost accordingly.
We started with the Maple Bacon Chicken Nugget Sliders for $6.99. OMG. I really had no idea what to expect, but these little things were actually delicious. These little pancake sliders were filled with chicken nuggets, a piece of super tasty, crunchy bacon, and drizzled with a touch of sriracha maple sauce. Dipped in maple syrup, I truly could have eaten more than 1.5 of these puppies.
Max had the Smoked Brisket Sandwich for $12.99, with fries for an additional $2.99. The restaurant smokes the brisket themselves, with hickory and cherry wood and they also bake their own rolls. The brisket was topped with a garlic and horseradish slaw. All in all, the subtle flavour of the smoked meat and the horseradish were all pulled together well with the soft, toasted roll. Our only feedback would be to add more meat to the sandwich so one can really enjoy the taste of the smoked brisket (or, next time, I would ask for more and pay a bit extra for it). The fries were seasoned well, with salt and pepper – a nice treat from bland or over-salted fries one often gets.
I ordered the weekly special – Pork Schnitzel with a mushroom gravy, served on a bed of mashed potatoes with corn, for $16.99. It was everything I expected and I enjoyed it all (well, I was stuffed and had to give a bit of the mashed potatoes and gravy to Max). I loved the breading on the pork – it wasn’t too thick or too thin, and the pork was tender and juicy. The gravy was flavourful and the mashed potatoes were the right consistency. I would highly recommend you order this special when it comes up again.
The Peanut Butter Pie was a treat, especially for the two of us who mostly eat lactose free for reasons we will not publicly discuss 😉 The custard based pie was not too sweet or too rich. The peanut butter flavour comes from the house made peanut butter crumbs inside and on top of the pie. The crust was thin and crisp – impressive, from my perspective since I do not ever attempt to make pie crusts! The pie was garnished with fresh whipped cream (feel free to ask for less whipped cream – we both will next time). We both loved the peanut butter crumbs in and on the pie – the crunchy texture was a great addition to the smooth custard and whipped cream.
The Rempels will soon be selling their baked goods in Avenida Food Hall & Fresh Market here in Calgary. They’ll be selling carrot cake, banana loaf, and brownies at the Mercantile in the market. Make sure you check out their goods next time you’re there. They also have a large selection of fruit pies that they make from scratch as well. Through their Facebook page, they are talking about taking pre-paid orders for delivery here in Calgary (including frozen pierogies, borscht, etc.). Please check them out and support a small town business!
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